Forza Horizon 5 Should Come to PlayStation

Simply put, PlayStation 5 has nothing that quite compares to Forza Horizon 5.

The Crew Motorfest? It's close. By fully embracing the "if you can't beat them, join them" approach, Motorfest's dedicated festival vibe makes it far more similar to the Forza Horizon series than its predecessors.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? Sadly, no. While the Forza Horizon series itself owes a lot to the groundbreaking MMO racing of the original Test Drive Unlimited, Solar Crown overreached in this area. An always-online racer with no dedicated single-player mode? The Horizon series has allowed players to smoothly switch between offline and online play since Forza Horizon 2 in 2014!

Need for Speed Unbound? Well, several aspects of Need for Speed's impressive customization options easily outshine Horizon's, but Unbound's arcade-style focus on high-speed police chases means it isn't really a direct comparison.

No, the undisputed champion of modern open-world racing is Forza Horizon 5 – and it's now available on PlayStation 5 for the very first time. Its vast and stunning Mexican landscape. Its wonderfully drift-friendly car handling. Its enormous garage of nearly 900 vehicles that goes far beyond just the basics, packed with cult classic cars you won't find in any other racing game. The complete package. PlayStation users are now diving into all of this, many experiencing it for the very first time.

Watching the reaction has been enjoyable.

The team has been particularly eager to welcome this wave of new players.

"Yeah, I'm super excited," confirms Playground Games art director Don Arceta. "Brand new players; for many, this will likely be their first Forza Horizon game ever. It's thrilling to imagine that and remember what our first Horizon experiences felt like."

Arceta is especially excited to discover what kinds of locations and races PlayStation 5 players will design using Forza Horizon 5's extensive customization suite – the Event Lab.

"You'll even find some pretty cool Halo content on PlayStation through the Event Lab props!"

"We now have over 800 props in the Event Lab, and seeing what the community has built using that feature and mode – the sheer creativity of our players – is mind-blowing," he continues. "I'm incredibly eager to see what PlayStation 5 users create and the ingenuity that will emerge from that community."

"With the Event Lab props, you'll actually get some great Halo content on PlayStation too!"

In great news, the PlayStation 5 version delivers a technically flawless experience on par with its Xbox and PC counterparts. This is impressive given the game's massive scale and the fact its engine has never been used on PlayStation before.

"As you can imagine, since the series has always been built around the Xbox environment and architecture, a lot of the code and engineering is tailored for that," explains Arceta. "So bringing it to PS5 was no small feat. It was a massive undertaking."

"The PlayStation 5 version was developed by Panic Button, in collaboration with Turn 10 and our team. Panic Button did an outstanding job. You get that same top-tier, high-quality experience found on Xbox and PC – now available on PlayStation, thanks to Panic Button's amazing work."

Personally, I've always seen the Forza series as the ultimate collection of Hot Wheels. No other racing franchise offers such a vast and exciting range of cars I desire, alongside a parade of vehicles I never knew I wanted. As a car enthusiast, I love the thought of a whole new group of players possibly discovering their dream cars in Forza Horizon 5 – cars their other racing games haven't provided.

For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, however, it's the sheer scope of Forza Horizon 5 that he expects will wow newcomers.

"The breadth of Horizon is truly staggering," says Orton. "We often see players dive in and find what they truly enjoy, but because the game offers so much freedom, it can really be whatever you want it to be."

"Horizon is a space where everyone is truly welcome, and there's something for everyone."

"We always aim to give players that agency and freedom to pursue their interests, and the game rewards them accordingly. I'm really looking forward to players discovering the sheer variety of content. Whether you prefer road racing, Rivals and track racing, capturing incredible photos, or creating content for others in Event Lab – you can do all of that. Horizon is the place where everyone is welcome, and everyone can find their niche. The moment players realize it's more than just a racing game is what truly excites me."

"For me, a win would be hearing players say, 'I can't believe I never played this before,'" says Arceta. "That sense of surprise."

"That's a victory in my book, because surprise leads to engagement – and a desire to explore further. That's what I'm hoping for. Hearing players' delight, their astonishment, and their personal stories."

Orton agrees completely.

"Yes, I think that's it," he adds. "Players who've never tried Horizon before – whether due to platform exclusivity or simply lack of time – finally jumping into this world and discovering it's a warm, inviting place full of fun, a place they can call home."

"New players realizing, 'Oh my goodness, how have I never played this? This is incredible.' That, to me, is success. We're about to reach an audience that may have never played a Forza game. There's some uncertainty about how they'll respond, but looking at our track record, we've constantly refined our craft. We're thrilled to bring this to PlayStation. I believe we'll attract a huge number of new players, and that's incredibly exciting."

If any passion is more tribal than car culture, it's the loyalty to a chosen video game console. For racing game enthusiasts, however, a major barrier has finally fallen.

Let's hope it's not the last.